Indianapolis 500 Milk Bottle

The Drink of Milk in Victory Lane
For over 70 years, winners of the Indianapolis 500 have celebrated in Victory Lane (now Victory Circle) with a hearty swig from an ice-cold bottle of milk – a ceremony recognized around the world as unique to the Indy 500.
In an interview shortly before his death in 1995, Meyer recalled that his favorite beverage during his driving years was buttermilk and that’s what he asked for following the second of his three wins. Three years later, on the occasion of his third 500-Mile victory, he was photographed drinking milk in Victory Lane. Several years after that, the Bottle of Milk became a permanent part of the post-race celebration when Anton “Tony” Hulman decided that milk was a wholesome and appropriate beverage for Victory Lane festivities. For those who may be wondering what the winning driver drinks, it’s no longer buttermilk. Today, it’s delicious, nutrient rich, ice-cold milk served in a glass quart bottle.
The American Dairy Association of Indiana and its Indiana dairy farm families are responsible for ensuring that the Victory Circle tradition endures and prospers. In fact, Sports Illustrated magazine has recognized the bottle of milk given annually to the winner of the Indianapolis 500 as No. 1 among the "sports world's coolest prizes."

Peggy Haskett from Thorpe Creek Elementary School, Fishers, IN, with the cafeteria's new milk cooler that they won!

Even though World School Milk Day (WSMD) was September 30 of this year, I’m just now putting the finishing touches on a school promotion that the Dairy & Nutrition Council conducted. At the beginning of the month, we sent crazy straws and a poster of Miss America 2009, Indiana’s own Katie Stam. Prairie Farms, who supplies the majority of school milk in Indiana, also gave crazy straws to many schools. Then, at the beginning of October, school nutrition directors all around the state were asked to let us know if and how they celebrated WSMD. Many other promotions were also held during the National School Lunch Week (NSLW), October 12 – 16, with the theme being the NBA inspired “A Slam Dunk for Lunch”. Continue reading →

The Nutrient Rich Foods approach to eating is a great way to start the New Year healthy and happy.

Losing weight is a common New Year’s resolution, but people often resort to diets that restrict nutrients and eliminate food groups. This year, why not avoid thinking about food restrictions and aim to think about eating sensibly to nourish your body and give yourself the essential nutrition you need. “You are more likely to keep resolutions that are positive, such as eating more fruit and vegetables, getting the recommended three servings of dairy products every day, and including regular physical activity” stated Diane Ruyack, MS, RD, CD.

A family enjoying milk with their meal so that they can get the 9 essential nutrients that dairy products provide.

I am thankful for all of the families including moms, dads, kids, aunts, uncles, and grandparents who enjoy milk and milk products in their daily diets. Because these families are consuming dairy products in their daily diets, they benefit from the nine essential nutrients that milk offers. This food choice helps to ensure proper health which is good not only for their families, but also for our country, and for this I am grateful. And of course without all of you milk drinkers, dairy farmers would not be able to do their job, and I would not be able to help dairy farmers promote their wholesome product. So, as you can see, we all need each other. Continue reading →

Over 400 Hoosier dairy farmers witnessed their check-off dollars at work first-hand on Wednesday evening, December 16, when the American Dairy Association of Indiana celebrated “Dairy Night with the Indiana Pacers” at Conseco Fieldhouse in Downtown Indianapolis.

Dairy farmers from throughout the state converged on the retro-style fieldhouse not only to watch the NBA Pacers take on (and defeat) the Charlotte Bobcats, but also to enjoy a wide variety of dairy-themed promotions. Continue reading →

Hot chocolate made with milk is a great way to get one of your 3 servings of dairy for the day!

Gift baskets are a great way to celebrate the holiday with everyone in your family and all your friends while being kind to your pocket book. Family members can share in the bounty while friends’ baskets can be fashioned to suit individual taste… enjoyed by all! Some thoughts to keep in mind when creating your basket extravaganza:

– Theme the gifts for individuals or families so everyone can get into the act.
– Find great gifts for small prices – the more items the better.
– Find gifts that the whole family can enjoy. Games are a great idea and will provide opportunity for family time together. Continue reading →

Camila Jatoba and Brittany Peterson are dietetic interns from Ball State University, and fulfilling their last community rotation at the Dairy and Nutrition Council of Indiana. Please follow them as they spend their time with DNCI. Below are observations from a school food service visit and lunch service observation.

What was your favorite period in school? Lunch is a popular answer among students. Have you ever realized that food service staff are the only people to see all students that come to school everyday? Teachers and the principal do not get a chance to smile or say hello to every pupils that comes to school in a given day.

At Eastwood Middle School things are no different and students enjoy lunch time. All the food service staff have a good rapport with the children and are very excited for the new renovations that will take place during Christmas break. They are anticipating better accessibility, customer service, and not to mention a more revamped environment for the school kitchen, making it more appealing.

If you want to get the upper hand on holiday entertaining, think finger foods. It doesn’t take much imagination to guess what our favorite finger food is, CHEESE, of course. Nothing could be easier and more welcome than an outstanding morsel of a special cheese, and this is the season to splurge on artisan offerings. Choosing a few of your favorite varieties of cheese and pairing them with the perfect wine is sure to make your entertaining spectacular. First, select the wines you wish to share, and then add the cheeses.

It is nice to pair wine, cheese and breads together to allow your group to sample without “instructions.” Each palate is unique and the pairings can act as a beginning. There is no right or wrong, but like snowflakes, they are all different.